DEV #3: The Inevitable

Resinous myrh and spicy cinnamon stand out the most to me; a very interesting, unusual, dried fruit, almost syrupy note in DEV3 that might be the tuber? There are herbal aspects, olibanum, wood and amber. Definitely smells related to the other DEV scents but with fruity tuber and more herbs. As others have mentioned this scent and most of series bring to mind wicker or cinnamon candles. Unisex, for cooler weather and too weird for work. It's going to take a very particular person to find this sexy. Performance was average and DEV3 became soft at around hour six. I did have someone get close and smell it on me well past the twelve hour mark. Covy's note composition here is unique, weird, avant-garde. I imagine discovering this on someone and saying "woah...you smell wild". Out of all the DEV series this is probably one of my least favorite but it is still an excellent scent. Pricey but the quality and performance are there. Watch out! The dark juice will stain your clothes if it's not dry. This hellish stuff is definitely worth testing.

This is not a scent profile I normally go for, but I like it the more it dries down. Definitely a fall/winter scent to me, especially an evening scent. This smells very spiced, very cinnamon. The initial spray I actually thought I would hate it because it smelled like something I wanted to eat and not wear, the spices reminded me of cooking Indian food (which I love to smell and eat, but not wear). The dry down fixes that initial issue for me and it turns into a more expensive holiday dried potpourri. Very strong but pleasant cinnamon, herby jatamansi, still with a resin note and a subtle leathery labdanum. I’m so surprised with how this grew on me!

This fragrance is strikingly different from the masses. It reminds me of a cabin in the woods. A place we use to vacation during the summer when I was a kid. To me this is a very spicey & woodsy scent, even though there are no woods listed! Also something that reminds me very strongly of wicker. Maybe it's the lemongrass. It's the same wicker vibe I get in some other frags like Maestrale for example. I also get a slight black licorce vibe from this one. So if you like Sambuca or black licorice, this one is for you. Heavy on spices, I love the spices. Something very masculine.

These dev scents all seem to share a common labdanum base with differences in the additions over the top. My preference ranking for the 4 dev in order: #3, #2, #1, #4 As you can see I think #3 is the best for my tastes, partly because I don't have particularly strong associations with other fragrances I've tried so it's a little more unique, but also I think this is the nicest blend. In this the herbal and mildly fruity notes melt into the amber to create a really nice warm sandy feeling balance. It smells more luxurious than the others to me.

A dark infernal Oriental amber this is another very nice showcase for Ellen Covey’s blending skills. The perfume opens on a strong herbal note with Himalayan Nard, lemongrass, and artemisia. It proceeds to a brief middle with labdanum, olibanum, myrrh and lemongrass. Finally it settles on a dense base of cinnamon, amber, ambergris, and sandalwood. Very daring, edgy and smoky herbal unisex scent with moderate to strong projection, sillage and good longevity. Recommended only for the most daring. Enjoy.